Paid SVOboy a visit!
 

So Wombosi and I drove out to Dartmouth college where SVOboy did some werk on meh car. 175 miles each way all interstate. SVOboy cleaned the IACV and replaced the PCV and diagnosed a vacuum leak. And cleaned the EGR a little, although we weren't able to get it off the hegemony because the bolts were too tight. Needed to have soaked the bolts in PB blaster for 24 hours or so. SVOboy also diagnosed the VSS problem and the headlights, which both seem to be electrical doohickey nonsense, although the driver side headlight is blown and the passenger side has a phantom electrical problem. The speedo/odomoter problem doesn't seem like it will be fixed from a new VSS. Thanks again for all the help Benjo!

I made a post in General FE if you want to read about the overall FE of the tank and the speeds and all that.

Congrats! So what was causing the vacuum leak, a cracked hose?

I couldn't figure out the source of the vacuum leak. The pcv valve was completely shot, so we replaced it, but it wasn't just that...there's still a pretty sizable leak somewhere. I blocked the iacv flow and tried closing off every hose but I couldn't find the leak at all. A bit troublesome...

was the iacv ever taken off?? what about fitv?

ive never seen a problem with the iacv, but the fitv goes bad much more readily.

I do not think the cv/vx has a fitv. Mine doesn't and I didn't see one.

The idle behavior hasn't changed since yesterday. Bringing it to the mechanic tomorrow morning. What are the things I'm telling him again SVOboy?

I put in new head lights. Passenger side works, but driver side doesn't. "Phantom" electrical problem on that side we think.
Vacuum leak maybe causing the roaming idle/surging idle/sticking idle.
Still need to fix the speedo/odometer. I think that's it! Everything else with the car is behaving well enough to not be bothered by. I had the rust fixed. The power lag/power surge is virtually gone, and I still haven't put in new o2 sensor. The low rpm jingle came back for another two seconds today but hasn't happened again....

The right rear brake is clicking really bad now. No idea what is going on there. Might have the mechanic take a look.

Thanks again SVOboy for the help

just saw the mechanic. he was working overtime or something! 9pm and he was at his shop. Told him about my trip to Dartmouth and the vacuum leak and how SVOboy checked the hoses and about the little rubber thing he replaced and the pcv valve replacement and yada yada yada. And about the headlight and the "phantom" electrical problem on the driver side low beam.

He said something that I found rather interesting. Car will not pass emissions with a roaming idle!! Is this true!? Seems outrageous. So hopefully he'll fix the roaming idle and the head light. My car will be in tip top shape then. Would be sooo nice to have the idle chum at 500, barely audible like it should be.

Mine passed, dunno about MA laws though. Did he say anything about the actual issues?

he said it could take 1 hour to isolate the electrical problem or six days. He didn't really say anything at all about the issues. But he jotted them down in a notebook. I'm very curious if not anxious about what he has to tell me when I see him tomorrow afternoon.

The electrical problem should be really easy, since we know it's the plug that is ****ed up...